


The Shepherd's Burdens

by Oliver__Niko



Series: Zestiria Drabble Week [1]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Drabble, Drabble Collection, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 11:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15662289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliver__Niko/pseuds/Oliver__Niko
Summary: Michael has been the Shepherd for some time now. The burdens of this duty have now left him feeling trapped, almost as though all his work for the world will be for nothing.





	The Shepherd's Burdens

**Author's Note:**

> So as well as taking part in SorMik Week, I'll also be doing this Zestiria Drabble Week which was arranged by a Discord server I'm in! There's no worries about doing so - I already have all my SorMik Week work prepared, so even though it seems like I'm posting a lot, I'm only really simply squeezing in these little drabbles among other stuff.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

“ _Fethmus Mioma!”_

The yell echoes across the rocky plains. A hand reaches high above the man’s head. Light bathes him, dwelling inside – it bursts and scatters, leaving the man standing with a great blade in his hand, his clothes swapped for the intricate attire the Armatus brings, his usual shoulder-length hair now flowing around him in a ponytail of blonde strands.

“ _Michael, behind you!”_ The woman’s voice cries inside his head. The Shepherd spins on his heel, swinging the sword and bringing a rain of fire in its wake. The hellions are swallowed up in the powerful flame. Michael steadies himself, gripping the sword tighter in his pale hands.

“Ready, Lailah?”

“Yes!”

“ _Calamity Flare!”_ the two yell in unison. The wall of fire envelopes the hellions once again, smoke and embers scattering in every direction. Michael steps back, his eyes unblinking and focused as he waits to see if they will get back on their feet. They don’t, however. Instead, the flames of purification are strong enough to complete their task. The hellions slump to the floor in the forms that they once held.

Relief washes over Michael. The Armatus breaks, Lailah immediately rushing to her Shepherd’s side as he falls down onto his knees, gasping for breath. Her hands fall onto his shoulders.

“You are pushing yourself too hard, Michael,” she says guiltily. He brushes her hands away, shakily getting back to his feet.

“I’m only doing what has to be done,” he replies. He wipes sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “Purifying malevolence is the duty of the Shepherd, is it not?”

“Yes, but not at the expense of your own health.”

Michael gives her a faint smile. “I suppose you are right.” He takes a glance at the sky. Even now, he can see visible signs of malevolence in the air, clouding the atmosphere like an unmovable fog. “How many more must I purify, before the world is free of malevolence?”

“I … I cannot say,” Lailah says, holding her hands in front of her. “The world has never been free of malevolence fully.”

“So I can only reduce it to something which is manageable? I can never truly save the world?”

She bows her head. “I am sure that you have the capabilities to do great wonders for this world, Michael. Yet humans continue to breed malevolence.”

“And so long as their negative emotions arise, so long as they do not know how to deal with such emotions, malevolence will continue to strive?”

“Yes. That is one of the burdens of the Shepherd. You know alone what causes disasters in this world.”

“And only I can fix it.” Michael runs a hand through his hair. Sweat still trickles from his forehead, although his breathing has now at least become normal again. “It is a heavy duty. I feel trapped by it, almost.”

“Trapped?”

“By the responsibilities it brings. How many people have expectations of me. I can’t even truly be there by my sister’s side during her pregnancy.” He faces Lailah again, eyes bearing guilt. “I’m sorry, Lailah. I truly do enjoy journeying with you and have grown a lot by doing so.”

“Yet there are times that it becomes overwhelming for you,” she answers. “I do understand.”

“I do not regret our pact, nor do I wish that I never met you,” Michael continues. “I simply fear what is to come, and I worry that one day, I will take the wrong path.”

“I will stay by your side and make sure that such a thing does not happen,” says Lailah. He smiles at her, knowing that it is true that she will support him and love him regardless of what happens.

Yet even so, knowing this cannot stop the future. And he knows that even with her by his side, he will still feel trapped by the burdens of the Shepherd and worries that one day, he will have to make a choice which is far more difficult than anything else he has ever had to face.

Because that is what it means to be caught in the issues which everyone else in the world is able to ignore.


End file.
